By RUFUS ROSE

We have a Homeless and Housing Affordability problem that will take a long time to fix. We won’t fix all homelessness, but we should do more than we are doing at the government level.

Food, clothing and shelter are needed to survive. Free and low cost food and second- hand clothing is plentiful here. Affordable housing is not. The state mandated Growth Management Act (GMA) won’t allow it because large lot zoning in the rural area is required. New construction in rural Island County requires five-acres plus, or exceptional expense to make existing marginal lots buildable. Living in an incorporated city is more expensive. These are government mandated elements that make homelessness and housing costs worse than necessary. Supply and demand at work.

We are blessed with folks working on the homeless problem. Some of them spoke to us at a recent Sno-Isle community forum. Thanks for your important and difficult work.

When family, friends, church and community can’t solve problems we look to government. Government is slow, expensive, impersonal and more regulated.

We have worked the GMA mandate for nearly 30 years. No board of county commissioners has ever felt the GMA is a good fit for Island County. Olympia is heavy with metropolitan (more votes there) oriented representatives who do not care enough to make modifications to the GMA to allow a proper fit here. Island County has spent millions of dollars while losing many businesses, jobs and housing opportunities as a direct result. Our homeless problem is worse than in the past. Our economy is heavily dependent on a disproportionate form of government over private enterprise work. We do have an increasing number of successful retired folks who can afford to live here, but a limited supply of convenient housing opportunities for them. We have fewer and fewer school-age children. Their parents can’t afford to live here. Supply and demand truths are obvious, but are too hard to deal with, or just ignored.

Most humans need caring and respectful companionship. We establish social standards — regulations or laws — as guides for behavior. Some need assistance meeting them; we all need help at times. Some folks, especially youth, don’t have the confidence or the tools needed to succeed.

The institutions of family, friends, church, community and government are working the homeless problem. Institutions function most efficiently in that order. The intensity of caring and service delivery efficiency diminishes in that order. The cost of help increases but the effectiveness decreases, in that order, unless we simplify, or break, some of the rules.

Non-government efforts are great because they are motivated by one-on-one caring. They can, and probably do, cross legal lines at times to get things done. Living in a chicken house is better than living in the woods. Government cannot permit that, or someone will sue. Making more detailed laws takes too long, and does not solve the individual homeless folks’ problems before they get worse.

When we talk with our children and grandchildren about responsibility we start with the importance of responsibility to ourselves. We encourage, “Take care of yourself in body, mind, and soul.” We talk about civic responsibility. We encourage them to be good neighbors and active citizens. Some of us think we can’t do those things. Yes, we can.

Most folks do an adequate job of being responsible. Some folks are dealt a losing hand as they go through life. Some had bad parents who hurt them. Some abuse drugs and booze. We grew up with one or two strikes against us before we even come to bat. Some folks develop habits that take them out of the game. Catching up gets harder and harder as we age. It is important we accept the fact that “Everyone needs help at times.”

Let’s get the GMA to fit Island County.

Editor’s note: Rufus Rose is a long-time Clinton resident.